Neena Gupta

Neena Gupta (born 4 June 1959) is an Indian actress and television director who works in Hindi films and television. Known for her work in both art-house and commercial films, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a young widow in Woh Chokri (1994). In 2018, she saw career resurgence for starring as a middle-aged pregnant woman in the comedy-drama Badhaai Ho, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) and received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[1][2][3]

Neena Gupta
Gupta in 2012
Born (1959-06-04) 4 June 1959
EducationNational School of Drama
Occupation
  • Actress
  • television director
Years active1982–present
Spouses
    Amlan Kusum Ghose
    (m. 1977; div. 1978)
      Vivek Mehra
      (m. 2008)
      PartnerViv Richards (1980s)
      ChildrenMasaba Gupta

      Gupta's television appearances include a leading role in the drama series Saans (1999) and as the host of the Indian version of the television quiz show The Weakest Link, named Kamzor Kadii Kaun.[4] In June 2021, publisher Penguin Random House India released her autobiography Sach Kahun Toh.[5]

      Early life and education[6]

      Neena Gupta was born on 4 June 1959 in Calcutta, India to R. N. Gupta, an LLB and an officer in the State Trading Corporation of India, and Shakuntala Devi, née Kinra, a former teacher with double masters degrees in Sanskrit and Political Science.

      She grew up in the Karol Bagh area of New Delhi, doing her elementary schooling at the Bal Bharti School and secondary schooling at Vidya Bhawan. She went on to do a BA from Janki Devi Mahavidyalaya , and MA in Sanskrit from Delhi University. She also earned an MPhil from the same University for her thesis on ‘Stage Techniques in Sanskrit Drama: Theory and Practice’. Midway through her PhD in Sanskrit, she gave up her research due to difference of opinion between her guide and her.

      She was active in the theatre scene while at University, forming a close friendship with fellow actor-director Satish Kaushik, who encouraged her to follow his lead and join the National School of Drama. Gupta enrolled at NSD in 1977, studying under the tutelage of such greats as Ebrahim Alkazi and B.V. Karanth and graduated top of her class in 1980. Her contemporaries at the institute include Alok Nath and Annu Kapoor.[7]

      Career

      Film career

      Gupta has made appearances in several international films, such as Gandhi (1982), in which she played the niece of Mahatma Gandhi, and Merchant Ivory films, The Deceivers (1988), Mirza Ghalib (1989), In Custody (1993), and Cotton Mary (1999). She also made an impression in Indian parallel cinema such as Mandi (1983), Rihaee (1988), Drishti (1990) and Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992). These performances further established her profile in Indian movies alongside her arthouse film contemporaries Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Dimple Kapadia. Despite this, Gupta never had a major commercial hit and found it difficult to find more dramatic roles:[8]

      I made a few mistakes in the beginning of my career. I didn't have anybody to guide me. I didn't have a secretary. I didn't call up directors, or meet people asking for roles. Also, because of the media, there is a perception that I am a strong woman. Unfortunately, in our society, that goes against you. So, I got negative, vampish roles only. Plain and simple female roles never come my way because of my image, which is very wrong. My personal life got typecast into my professional life.[8]

      Her appearance in Hindi movies was especially noted in the satirical movie, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro in which she played the role of a secretary to Pankaj Kapoor.[9] She also starred along with Madhuri Dixit in Khalnayak (1993); she was featured in the popular song "Choli Ke Peeche" in the movie. She has made television movies, Lajwanti and Bazar Sitaram (1993), which won the 1993 National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film. In 1994, Gupta's breakthrough came in the acclaimed drama Woh Chokri as a recently widowed daughter-in-law; this performance won her a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

      In 2017, Gupta made headlines when she shared a post on Instagram asking for work: "I live in Mumbai and working as a good actor looking for good parts to play." Fed up with the lack of roles being written for middle-aged women in Bollywood, Gupta later reflected, "After that Instagram post, I got many offers -- five, in fact, and I accepted all of them. There is no shame in saying you don't have work."[8] One of the offers she accepted was Amit Sharma's comedy-drama Badhaai Ho (2018), which emerged as the ninth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2018. Her performance as a middle-aged pregnant mother earned widespread critical acclaim, with various critics and publications citing her performance as the film's highlight and one of the best of her career. Rajeev Masand credited Gupta for bringing "real empathy" to the part, while Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV described her portrayal as "outstandingly measured."[10][11] Acting opposite Ayushmann Khurana as her son, Gupta received various accolades for her performance including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, the Screen Award for Best Actress (Critics), and the BFJA Award for Best Supporting Actor - Female.[12] At 60, she became the second-eldest Best Actress nominee in Filmfare Award history after Sharmila Tagore.

      In 2020, Gupta appeared in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's sports comedy-drama Panga, and has reunited with Ayushmann Khurana for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, with the latter earning her a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Neena Gupta will next appear alongside Manoj Bajpayee and Sakshi Tanwar for the upcoming thriller 'Dial 100'.[13] She made an appearance in Amazon Prime's Panchayat as Manju Devi Pradhan. She appeared in season 2 of the same in 2022 as the same character.

      Television career

      Her big break on television came with Khandaan (1985), Yatra (1986), Gulzar's Mirza Ghalib (1987), a TV miniseries, followed by Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) and later Dard (1994), Gumraah (1995), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Saans, Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar (2005), Chitthi (2003), Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin (2004). She has also acted in the TV serial, Buniyaad.

      She also hosted the Indian version of the TV series The Weakest Link, Kamzor Kadii Kaun and appeared in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin which gave her considerable popularity.

      She has directed successful TV series, such as Saans (1999), Siski in (2000) and Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr. She played the role of Shubha, one of the four women main leads in Ladies Special, a daily soap on Sony TV. She is now seen in Dil se Diya Vachan as a doctor by profession and mother-in-law of the lead character Nandani which airs on Zee TV

      She also ran a theatre production company, 'Sahaj Productions' with actor, Rajendra Gupta, and acted as well as produced the Hindi play Soorya Ki Antim Kiran Se Soorya Ki Paheli Kiran Tak. She has also had some roles in Rishtey which was aired on Zee TV during 1999–2000.

      She has also been a part of Masaba Masaba, a Netflix show based on her and her daughter Masaba Gupta, who is a designer by profession.[14]

      Personal life

      Neena Gupta and Vivek Mehra in 2013

      Gupta married Amlan Kusum Ghose, studying at IIT-Delhi, while still an undergraduate. The marriage was short-lived with both mutually and amicably deciding to part ways within a year.[6] She was briefly engaged to Shaarangdev, the son of Pandit Jasraj.[15][16][17] She was in a relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards in the late 1980s. Though they never married, they have a daughter named Masaba Gupta born in 1989.[18] Since Richards was already married, Gupta decided to raise Masaba on her own as a single mother. In 2008, Gupta married New Delhi-based chartered accountant Vivek Mehra in a private ceremony in the United States.[19][20][21][22]

      Filmography

      Films

      Key
      Denotes films that have not yet been released
      Year Film Role Notes
      1982 Saath Saath
      Aadat Se Majboor
      Gandhi Abha
      Yeh Nazdeekiyan
      Jaipur Junction
      Aadharshila
      1983 Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron Priya
      Mandi Vasanti
      1984 Utsav Madanika
      Laila Salma
      1985 Agnidaah Sunita
      Trikaal Milagrenia
      1987 Taniya
      Susman Mandira
      1988 Rihaee Sukhi
      The Deceivers Gopal's Wife
      1989 Batwara
      1990 Kaarnama Vyjayanti
      Swarg Naina
      Drishti Revati
      1991 Vasthuhara DamayanthiMalayalam film
      Aadhi Mimansa
      1992 Aham Mother NobbleMalayalam film
      Zulm Ki Hukumat Yeshwant's wife
      Balwaan
      Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda Satti
      Yalgaar Kaushalya Kumar
      Angaar Majid's Wife(uncredited)
      Kal Ki Awaz Mrs. Fahmida Nooruddin Ahmed
      1993 Khalnayak Champa Didi
      Veerta Uma
      Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee Street Singer(in song "Shayarana Si Hai Zindagi")
      Bhagavad Gita Drupadi
      Aankhen Chief minister's wife(uncredited)
      1994 Woh Chokri Geeta Devi
      Jazbaat
      Eena Meena Deeka
      Sone Ki Sita
      Anth Mrs. Vikas Saxena
      In Custody Sarla
      1995 Nazar
      Dushmani: A Violent Love Story
      1997 Uff! Yeh Mohabbat Billo
      Jeeo Shaan Se
      1999 Cotton Mary Blossom (Mary's sister)
      2002 Raat Ke Saudagar
      2004 Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin Savitri
      2005 Nazar as Jogan
      2009 Teree Sang Paaki M. Puri
      The White Elephant
      Kitani Mohabbat hai Savita Punj
      2010 Veer Mangla
      Hello Zindagi
      Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke Mrs. S. Tripathi
      Chhevan Dariya (The Sixth River) Gurjeet Kaur
      2012 Mere Dost Picture Abhi Baaki Hai as Mymmyji
      2013 Issaq as Amma
      2015 Alone as Sanjana's Mother
      The Threshold Rinku
      2018 Veere Di Wedding Mrs. Sharma
      Mulk Tabassum
      Badhaai Ho Priyamvada Kaushik
      2019 Music Teacher Madhavi
      The Last Color Noor
      2020 Panga Jaya's mother
      Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Sunaina Tripathi
      2021 Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Aunty
      Sardar Ka Grandson Sardar Kaur Netflix film[23]
      Chhatrasal Narrator
      Dial 100 Seema PallavZEE5 film[24]
      83 Raj Kumari NikhanjCameo appearance
      2022 Goodbye [25]
      Uunchai TBA Completed[26]
      Gwalior Manju Mishra[27]

      Television

      Year Title Role Notes Ref.
      1985 Khandaan [28]
      1986 Yatra [29]
      1987 Gul Gulshan Gulfaam
      1988 Mirza Ghalib Nawab Jaan
      1989 Dard Also Director [30]
      Daddy Vimla Television film
      Chanakya (1991 TV series) Chanakya Shweta
      1994 Junoon Reema
      1994–1995 Daane Anaar Ke
      1998–1999 Saans Priya Kapoor Also writer and director [31]
      1999 Pal Chhin Director [32]
      2000 Siski Anoushka Saxena[33] Also director [33]
      2000–2004 Son Pari Producer [34]
      2001–2002 Kamzor Kadii Kaun Host [34]
      2002 Saanjhi Kanak Also writer [34][35]
      2002–2004 Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr Producer [36]
      2004 Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin Nandini
      2005–2009 Saat Phere Manno Bhabhi
      2009 Ladies Special Shubha Joshi
      2010–2011 Dil Se Diya Vachan Dr. Kalyani Rajadhyaksha
      2018 Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Writer [37]
      2019 Made in Heaven Veenu Roshan Guest
      2020-present Panchayat Manju Devi [38]
      2020 PariWar Kadambari Hotstar
      2020-present Masaba Masaba Neena Gupta Netflix

      Awards and nominations

      YearWorkAwardCategoryResultRef.
      1993 Bazaar Sitaram National Film Awards Best First Non-Feature Film Won [39]
      1994 Woh Chokri Best Supporting Actress Won [40]
      1999 Saans Screen Awards Best Actress (Television) Won [41]
      2019 Mulk International Indian Film Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [42]
      Badhaai Ho Best Actress Nominated
      Screen Awards Best Actress (Critics) Won [43]
      Lions Gold Awards Best Actor (Female) Won [44]
      Zee Cine Awards Best Actress (Critics) Nominated [45]
      Extraordinary Couple of the Year (shared with Gajraj Rao) Won
      Filmfare Awards Best Actress Nominated [46]
      Best Actress (Critics) Won
      2020 Panchayat Filmfare OTT Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won [47]
      2021 Masaba Masaba Nominated [48]
      Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [49]
      2022 Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Nominated

      References

      1. "Nominations for the 64th Vimal Filmfare Awards 2019". Filmfare. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
      2. "My Acting Career Suffered Because of My Public Image, Says Badhaai Ho Actress Neena Gupta". News18. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
      3. "Winners of the 64th Vimal Filmfare Awards 2019". Filmfare. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
      4. Bold and dutiful MALA KUMARThe Hindu, 16 December 2005..
      5. "Everything is out of my system now: Neena Gupta on her autobiography - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
      6. Gupta, Neena (2021). Sach Kahun Toh: An Autobiography. Ebury Press, Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-9-391-14975-8.
      7. "Alumni". Retrieved 21 May 2022.
      8. "The Neena Gupta Interview You Must Read!". Rediff.
      9. "Older woman becomes useless: Neena Gupta". Hindustan Times. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
      10. "Baby bother! « Rajeev Masand – movies that matter : from bollywood, hollywood and everywhere else". rajeevmasand.com. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
      11. "Badhaai Ho Movie Review: Neena Gupta Is Outstanding In A Wonderful Cast". NDTV.com.
      12. "Powerbrands BFJA". index.html.
      13. Vasudevan, Aishwarya (1 December 2020). "Neena Gupta, Manoj Bajpayee, Sakshi Tanwar team up for thriller 'Dial 100'". DNA India. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
      14. "When Neena Gupta Warned Women To Not Fall For Married Men: "I Have Suffered…"". Koimoi. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
      15. "Force Of Nature: Neena Gupta | Verve Magazine". www.vervemagazine.in. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
      16. "Neena Gupta: I want to tell all women that if you want to live in India and in society, you have to marry - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
      17. "No one like Neena Gupta". DNA India. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
      18. Patil, Vimla (28 February 1999). "Saans: A breath of fresh air". The Tribune.
      19. Ganguly, Prithwish (24 July 2008). "Neena Gupta gets married". DNA India.
      20. "Neena Gupta thrilled with marriage, but says "Masaba is priority"". Sify.com. IANS. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
      21. Trivedi, Tanvi (22 November 2008). "Neena Gupta opens up..." The Times of India. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
      22. "Neena Gupta On Masaba Mantena's Open Letter : I'm Very Happy With Her Response And Liked The Way She Wrote It". India.com. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
      23. Sharma, Priyanka (27 February 2021). "Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh starrer Sardar Ka Grandson to premiere on Netflix". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
      24. "Manoj Bajpayee begins shoot of a thriller with Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar". Mid Day. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
      25. "Neena Gupta to play Amitabh Bachchan's wife in Goodbye". Mid Day. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
      26. "Parineeti Chopra plays the role of a tourist guide in Nepal in Sooraj Barjatya's Uunchai; film shot at world's most DANGEROUS airport". Bollywood Hungama. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
      27. "Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra in social thriller Gwalior". The New Indian Express.
      28. Chopra, Anupama (3 May 1999). "Actress Neena Gupta's trademark sauciness remains intact but the hard edges have softened". India Today. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
      29. Pal, Chandrima. "The DD Files: Shyam Benegal's 'Yatra' packed all of India in a train". Scroll.in.
      30. "Guts, grit and a shy interior". Rediff.com.
      31. Patil, Vimla (28 February 1999). "Saans: A Breath of Fresh Air". Tribune India.
      32. "Pal Chhin: Life's meaningful moments". Screen. The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
      33. "And now Neena's third avtaar". Tribune. 31 December 2000. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
      34. "After 'Saans', 'Saanjhi' dissects another love triangle". Indian Television Dot Com. 24 December 2001.
      35. "Marital woes". Tribune. 3 February 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
      36. "Neena Gupta returns to Star Plus with college romance series". Indian Television Dot Com. 25 July 2002.
      37. "Alt Balaji's Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai marks Neena Gupta's comeback as a writer". India Today. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
      38. "Jitendra Kumar reunites with Neena Gupta in web series Panchayat. Watch trailer". India Today. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
      39. "41st National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
      40. "41st National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
      41. "Award Winners". Screen. Archived from the original on 22 October 1999. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
      42. "IIFA 2019 nominations: Andhadhun grabs maximum nods, Raazi and Padmaavat follow". Indian Express. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
      43. "Star Screen Awards 2018 complete winners list: Alia Bhatt wins Best Actress, Rajkummar Rao and Ranveer Singh are Best Actors". Hindustan Times. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
      44. Sharma, Ramnish (18 January 2019). "Lions Gold Awards 2019 complete winners list: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor win big". Times Now. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
      45. "Zee Cine Awards 2019: Full list of winners out". Free Press Journal. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
      46. "Nominations for the 64th Vimal Filmfare Awards 2019". Filmfare. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
      47. "Flyx Filmfare OTT Awards 2020: Complete winners' list". The Times of India. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
      48. "My Glamm Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Nominations". FilmFare. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
      49. "Filmfare Awards : Thappad announced Best Film, Irrfan Khan wins posthumous award; see full list". Firstpost. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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